Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Lianyungang

For one person, living is cheaper in Lianyungang: $751 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Lianyungang
Learn more

Lianyungang Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Lianyungang

🇨🇳 China

$751

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Lianyungang

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Phuket and in Lianyungang actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $751 in Lianyungang.

Phuket $1,207
Lianyungang $751

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $1,171 in Lianyungang.

Phuket $2,037
Lianyungang $1,171

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $1,591 in Lianyungang.

Phuket $2,867
Lianyungang $1,591

Living in Phuket is roughly 61% more expensive than in Lianyungang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Lianyungang 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿154

$3.07 ¥20.51

49.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,091

$18.19 ¥122

78.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿287

$4.40 ¥29.41

94.32%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.5

$2.79 ¥18.68

-2.51%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 ฿31.41

$0.53 ¥3.55

77.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.48

$0.30 ¥2.00

63.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿87.0

$1.06 ¥7.06

144.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿129

$2.56 ¥17.14

49.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.4

$1.98 ¥13.26

-12.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿48.07

$1.36 ¥9.09

5.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.3

$0.98 ¥6.58

56.12%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.1

$1.33 ¥8.92

63.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿643

$16.33 ¥109

17.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.21 ¥28.14

-21.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿374

$9.91 ¥66.3

12.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿99.0

$1.17 ¥7.82

152.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.4

$0.57 ¥3.82

194.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿77.2

$0.93 ¥6.23

147.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.6

$0.46 ¥3.10

363.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.4

$0.67 ¥4.47

128.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.78

$0.46 ¥3.10

195.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.63

$0.29 ¥1.94

286.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.33

$0.44 ¥2.92

25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿143

$3.83 ¥25.60

11.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿611

$14.87 ¥99.4

22.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$1.06 ¥7.12

64.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.8

$1.56 ¥10.44

78.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.4

$0.31 ¥2.10

616.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿741

$16.00 ¥107

37.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.8

$1.53 ¥10.20

90.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.97

$0.41 ¥2.76

146.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿129

$9.18 ¥61.4

-58.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.1

$1.31 ¥8.76

13.74%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$26.7K ฿896.2K

$19.1K ¥127.6K

39.83%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.7K ฿897.2K

$16.3K ¥109.2K

63.65%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$99.4 ฿3,338

$69.3 ¥464

43.33%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$11.28 ฿379

$6.81 ¥45.57

65.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿583

$7.79 ¥52.1

122.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,756

$46.04 ¥308

13.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿364

$14.77 ¥98.8

-26.54%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿254

$6.26 ¥41.84

20.93%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$558 ฿18.8K

$363 ¥2,427

53.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿385.9K

$17.7K ¥118.3K

-35.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,112

$37.72 ¥252

66.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿960

$36.61 ¥245

-21.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,229

$74.8 ¥500

28.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,958

$88.6 ¥593

-0.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.5K

$295 ¥1,971

147.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.5K

$191 ¥1,277

140.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.4K

$638 ¥4,268

228.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿41.1K

$367 ¥2,451

233.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿116.2K

$3,476 ¥23.2K

-0.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.6K

$1,794 ¥12.0K

38.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.6K

$593 ¥3,964

-16.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.37

65.28%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Lianyungang: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Lianyungang

$191 25.4% 58.5% $269

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Lianyungang

$205 27.3% 23.3% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Lianyungang

$84 11.2% 34.4% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Lianyungang

$107 14.2% 13.8% $17

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Lianyungang

$85 11.3% 30% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Lianyungang

$59 7.8% 13.2% $8.9

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Lianyungang

$21 2.8% 46.4% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $295 in Lianyungang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lianyungang pays 20% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $18.00 in Lianyungang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $205 per month, with Lianyungang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Lianyungang

🕒 Local time

19:53 7:53 PM

20:53 8:53 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

4,393,914

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Lianyungang 3,650 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Lianyungang

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Phuket vs Lianyungang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lianyungang wins on cost – living expenses run 61% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lianyungang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 20% lower in Lianyungang. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $729 in Phuket versus $295 in Lianyungang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Lianyungang runs roughly 38% less than in Phuket. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $363 in Lianyungang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $751 in Lianyungang versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Lianyungang but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Lianyungang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Lianyungang delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $751 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Lianyungang hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Lianyungang are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Lianyungang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.